There are some genres of film that are harder to pull off successfully than others, and the thriller genre is right at the top of that list. Se7en pulls it off almost flawlessly.

The inner city is home to a seemingly never-ending display of brutality and depravity, and after thirty-eight years in the thick of it, it's definitely taken a toll on Detective Somerset, and he's eagerly looking forward to his retirement at the end of the week. Even with his career coming to an end, he's been given a new partner: Detective Mills, a younger man with an explosive temper who went out of his way to get transferred into the area. Their first case together is unlike anything either of them has either seen; a morbidly obese man was found dead in his apartment, having been forced at gunpoint to eat until the massive intake of food caused lethal damage to his organs. Somerset has been around the block enough to know that this is only the beginning of something big, something that he's not going to be able to solve in a week's time, so he requests to be taken off the case. Even so, he just can't bring himself to walk away, and after a closer inspection of the crime scene he discovers that the killer spelled out "Gluttony" with grease behind the refrigerator. What a coincidence! Mills' new case involves the death of a corrupt lawyer with the word "Greed" written on the floor in blood. Somerset quickly makes the connection and realizes just what's going on. This killer is more than just committing murder, he's preaching by punishing his victims with one of the Seven Deadly Sins they've committed. Gluttony. Greed. Sloth. Pride. Lust. Wrath. Envy.

Talk about a twisted affair. David Fincher and Andrew Walker sure knew what the hell they were doing here. Interestingly enough, while the plot as a whole focuses on the killer, he's a very small part of the movie itself until the final minutes. The focus is mostly on the two detectives, both on a personal/family level and on a career level, with one coming to a close and another just beginning. Both men of reputation, Brad Pitt and Morgan Freeman are both up to the task. More on that later. Now, what makes this movie so effective is just how efficiently Fincher makes his killer reviling without even including him in most of the movie. Through the brutal nature of the crimes, the detectives' absolutely baffled helplessness in tracking him down, and the emphasis on his patience and dedication to his mission, we have a villain who's very MO is terrifying enough without actually including him. And when he finally does show his face, his identity adds a whole new layer of uneasiness. I'm not going to go into here, but I will say that the point is nicely lamp-shaded during the movie. Additionally, Fincher pulled no punches when it came to our victims, and as each death is particularly revolting in their own little way, it definitely added to the awe this killer is able to create. Top it off with an absolutely jaw dropping finale, and you've got one hell of a night in front of the TV on your hands.

The fuel to this fire is the performances given in by Pitt and Freeman. Again, the focus is more on these two than the killer. While they begin as unwilling partners, one seeing a new relationship as pointless and the other wanting to prove himself, the case quickly brings them together and their differences in family and detection methods bubble to the surface. Somerset is a grizzled veteran with no wife and Mills is a hot-tempered man beginning a family. The killer's influence is never far though, and the fear and astonishment at his brutality, as well as the different ways they hang on to their composure, is clearly shown by both actors. This human element is in stark contrast to the inhuman level of the killer's evil, and they both handle this balance beautifully. Especially the conversation where Pitt is taunting the killer, although sadly he does kind of lose it later on. Gwyneth Paltrow and R. Lee Ermey also have bit parts, and as you can imagine, neither of them disappoint either.

There is very little in the way of complaints here, really only two things come to mind. The first is the absolute meltdown of Brad Pitt's acting during the climax. Carey Elwes has absolutely nothing on him here, as Pitt brings laughably bad overacting to a whole new level. From his drawn out "Oh god"s to that awkward switching between what's supposed to be pain and fury. The whole thing puts a damper on what was not only an amazing scene, but also an amazing ending to a great movie. The other complaint isn't so much a complaint, just a sad truth, and it also deals with the ending. Namely, the second time you watch this movie, the ending lacks the same punch as it does the first time. And since it's not exactly an easy ending to forget, you can't even rely on that.

I can not recommend Se7en enough. 9/10 on the first viewing, 8 on subsequent, only because you lose the shock of that insane ending.